


Keep Running

by yunglolita



Category: Kagerou Project, Mekakucity Actors
Genre: Dark, Death, Depressing, Distant Parents, F/M, Other, Time Loop, bood, doesn't match up completely with anime, gomen, i worked really hard on this so please read it even though it doesn't have romance or drugs or smut, i wrote this for my writing class, kids dying, lots of death, my take on Heat Haze Daze, mylena the saleswoman, read this if you want to feel hopeless, sad kids, shitty cats, spoilers for anime, theres like no romance, what i've been working on instead of Burning Bright
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 16:43:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1695323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yunglolita/pseuds/yunglolita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summer. Its vast emptiness stretched out before me. I felt small. I felt suffocated. The overwhelming pressure to make the most of the days we had free exhausted me. The first week or two of listless sun streaked days passed by like a dream. Freedom without limits is meaningless. It didn't take long for me to get bored. Night time never lasted long enough, days passed by again and again, uneventful and endless.  All I want is a way out of this. This terribly dull, meaningless cycle. I want out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep Running

**Author's Note:**

> This is what's been taking up my time lately. I'm so sorry I haven't been writing anything for Burning Bright, but now that this is done i'll have more time to focus on that. So this is my take on the song Heat Haze Daze, I wrote this before the episode for the anime came out so I went back and edited a few things, but yeah I mostly just based the story off of that scenario and went with it. Also all of this is in 3rd person, except for a few parts when I have Hibiya's thoughts. I didn't write their names in this at all either. I don't know I kind of wanted a feeling of disconnectedness, like you're hearing a children's story or something. If I made any grammar or spelling mistakes please let me know, kudos and comments are much appreciated.

It was hot. He could feel it, the sun had seeped in through the cracks in his blinds. Rays pressed on his freckled back like hot irons. He struggled to escape the light, lazily rolling over, feeling his skin stick to the cotton sheets. All of the covers had been pushed to the bottom of his bed, and had tangled themselves around his feet and calves. The sun beat down, harsher than before, now prickling at the skin covering his stomach. A thin layer of sweat coated the boys’ forehead, he considered lifting a hand to wipe at his damp skin but was exhausted at the thought. He let out a long breath of air, flopping his arms out on either side of his torso. Resistance was futile.

He lifted his eyelids, wincing at the sudden brightness. No matter what he did to block out the summer heat it always found a way in. The boy reached over to his bedside table, fumbling for a little while before grabbing his phone. The blank screen flashed to life. It was 12. As the screen faded to black he caught a glimpse of his reflection trapped inside the small device before tossing the phone aside.

The boy grimaced, he didn’t need a mirror to know that he looked bad. Weeks of humid and sleepless nights had not been good to him. He raked his thin fingers through the light hair that clung to his moist scalp, only succeeding in causing the short tufts to stick up every which way. Normally he wouldn’t even bother.

Reluctantly the boy decided against sleeping another few hours and moved himself off the mattress. The bed frame groaned in disapproval. Even though he would have been completely content with staying within these four walls, something he’d been doing for at least a week, his room was getting boring. It’s not like sweating under direct sunlight, surrounded by hoards of equally sweaty people was his idea of fun, but he was up for a change. After putting on considerably cleaner clothes the boy left his room and headed to the entryway. He tugged on a worn pair of converse and faced the front door. He reached out to grip the metal door handle, but hesitated. Without turning his head or raising his voice he hoarsely said, “Mom…Dad? I’m going out.”

No reply.

Not that he’d expected one, he felt silly for even saying anything. Without waiting he threw open the door and pushed himself in the summer heat.

_I’ve made a terrible mistake_. The boy had barely been walking for five minutes and he could not stop the continuous slew of regretful and bitter thoughts. Heat, it was everywhere, the air was so thick. _I can barely breathe._ He wasn’t headed anywhere in particular, at first he’d just wanted freedom from the inside of his house. And now he just wanted to get somewhere safe and air conditioned.  He decided to take refuge in a small park just outside of his neighborhood. Most of the park was shaded, something he was particularly grateful for as he sat down on a slightly rusted swing set. Closing his eyes in relief, he tried to calm his embarrassingly heavy breathing. Fortunately there was no one else around to witness this pathetic moment.

Looking out at the empty park and the desolate street beyond it, the boy realized that he felt more alone in the outside world than he ever did in his dimply lit room. _Maybe I’m depressed_ , he mused, before realizing how ridiculous that was _. No, I’m just bored._

_Summer. Its vast emptiness stretched out before me. I felt small. I felt suffocated. The overwhelming pressure to make the most of the days we had free exhausted me. The first week or two of listless sun streaked days passed by like a dream. Freedom without limits is meaningless. It didn’t take long for me to get bored. Night time never lasted long enough, days passed by again and again, uneventful and endless.  All I want is a way out of this. This terribly dull, meaningless cycle. I want out._

“______?” The boy had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the girl approach him and call out his name. “Oh, hi _____,” he mumbled, offering her a shy smile. She grinned back brightly and took a seat on the swing next to his. A cat was nestled on her lap. The boy eyed her curiously, as she scratched behind the felines ears, causing it to purr and rub its face into the thin fabric of her dress. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” she questioned, looking at him. The boy averted his eyes quickly, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the girl was still focused on him, waiting for an answer. He’d expected this question but not until school stared again. Franticly, he searched for a believable response, but came up empty. “Yeah, I’ve been busy…” he answered lamely. If being busy included laying around in different parts of his room and staring into a humming computer screen. It was obvious that the girl didn’t believe it for a second, but she was kind enough to let it go. “Hmm, I’ve been busy too I guess.”

The boy nodded, he didn’t expect her to elaborate, they weren’t that close.  They sat in silence for a while. The boy realized how surprisingly comfortable he was around this girl. It had been a while since he’d had human contact outside his family. And even that was scarce. She didn’t feel the need to chatter about unnecessary, boring topics just to fill the pockets of silence. He’d always admired that about her. The boy began to swing slowly, pumping his legs lazily and enjoying the soft breeze it created. The sickening rays of the dazzling sun streamed down through the tree branches over the two. “Its nice weather,” the boy remarked absentmindedly, looking at the veins of the leaves, illuminated by the sun.

 “Well, ya know, I kind of hate summer,” the girl boldly murmured. The boy looked at her in disbelief. His mouth was left hanging slightly agape. Drawing in a deep breath, he paused, wanting to agree, to tell her something, to confide in her because he had no one else. “_____, I-” At that moment the small black cat leaped from the girls lap dashing out of the park, towards the street. The girl dismounted the swing instantly, calling back to him, “I’m sorry I have to go.” The boy didn’t bother replying, she was running out of the park now. She was slowly catching up with the cat. The boy did not move. He watched as the cat sprinted into the street, the girl followed. He watched as the girl stepped off the sidewalk, her sundress flowing behind her. He watch as he girl took her first stride in the street. He watched as the crosswalk sign turned to a glaring red before her feet touched the ground. _No_. His legs were moving on their own accord. _No_. The girl was reaching the middle of the street _. No_. He was close, almost to the sidewalk, and that’s when he saw it. “______!”

The words barely made it out of his mouth before the girl froze. But she wasn’t looking at him. She hadn’t even heard him. What she had heard was the desperate cries of the trucks horn, trying to warn her of the inevitable, only moments before she was hit.

“NO!” the cry tore through his chest. He could hardly recognize his own voice, it sounded so desperate. _No, no, I was too late_. Red, everywhere, drenching the concrete. _It couldn’t be hers, there’s too much. There’s so much._ _No_. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, his eyes were dry, unblinking. He wanted to look away, god he wanted to un-see this. _I can’t_. The sun beat down, unmerciless. It was hot, so hot. He gasped, taking in shaky shallow breaths. The thick humid air, mixed with the copper scent of splattered blood filled his throat, choking him. _This is wrong_. Desperately, he gathered enough strength to move his eyes away from the scene. Across the street, a small black cat sat on the sidewalk, cleaning its paws _. No…_ It was completely unharmed. A ragged gasp of laughter escaped the boy. “This can’t be real.” In the haze of terror and disbelief, the heat surrounded him, suffocating him. The heat whispered in the shell of his ear, delighted, “This is all real!”

August 14th

The boy awoke with a gasp, grasping the sheets of his bed. His room was silent, aside from his heavy breathing. Only fuzzy fragments remained of his dream, but nothing he could decipher. The whole dream felt like he was falling and waking up just before hitting the ground. What stayed was a terrible sense of dread. It curled up in his stomach, leaving his mouth dry _. I need to get out more._ White lines on the screen of his phone spelled out 12:15. It was later than he usually woke up but it didn’t matter. Nine am felt the same as two pm to him. He left his house shortly after, still trying to shake away the remnants of his dream.A weird sense of urgency overcame the boy as he walked through the peaceful neighborhood. He found himself heading to an empty park he hadn’t visited in years. It was strange, he kept feeling like he had to be somewhere or do something. Like he had made a promise and forgotten. But that couldn’t be possible. Not when he couldn’t remember the last time he carried on a normal conversation with someone past how are you. Frowning in confusion, the boy sat on an old swing. Without meaning to, he drifted off, lost in thought. The swing set groaned under the weight of another body, pulling the boy back to reality.

“Hello _____,” _how long has it been since I heard someone say my name?_

“Hi,” _even my voice sounds foreign_. The girl gave him a reassuring smile. “Sorry if I startled you, it’s just that it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” This was true, they weren’t the closest schoolmates and usually only exchanged polite hellos outside of class. _Why does talking to her feel so familiar?_ “What have you been doing?” She spoke cautiously, like the wrong word might scare him away. A soft mew halted the boy’s response, he noticed for the first time the ink black cat that the girl held. “Oh,” he whispered, momentarily confused by the flash of anger that he felt when he noticed the cat. He pushed the emotions away and concentrated on answering the girl. “Busy, I mean, I’ve had a lot to do.” She looked satisfied with that answer “Me too.” The boy felt a comfortable silence fall over them. He didn’t want to break it, but something felt off. Almost without realizing it, words began to pour out of his mouth.

“You know,” the boy whispered, lifting his head to face the sky, “about what I said earlier…that I was busy?” He fought back a wave of anxiety. “I lied. I was never busy, I’ve just been feeling so weird like-”

“I know.” The boy jolted at having been cut off. “Hopeless.” The girl stared intently at him, eyes burning. “When you talk about summer this is a pretty common clique. That’s why I hate summer.”

As the words hit his ear the boy shook his head in disbelief. _No, this is too familiar._ He watched a black cat run out of the park. The terrible feeling that resided in his stomach came back at full force. Only then did he realize what it was that he was feeling.

He leapt from the swing and followed the girl. She looked back, probably to yell a goodbye, when the boy caught up with her and grabbed her wrist. “What? What are you doing?” Through ragged breathing the boy tried to explain, “I just, um, I think we should keep talking.” He gulped, “Come on, let’s go somewhere else.” It was obvious that she was confused but the girl didn’t protest when he led her out of a different park exit, away from the road, away from the crosswalk _. Oh god what am I supposed to say? That I think I dreamed about you running after a cat and I felt like something bad was going to happen? No, I couldn’t say that…_

“Hey, you can let go of my hand now,” the boy looked down to see that yes, he was still holding her hand. “Ah, I-I’m sorry!” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away, trying to hide his pink tinted face. They were on a different street now, one with higher buildings and more people. Workers were suspended on the outside of the building above them, yelling commands and repairing something. From behind him the girl giggled, “It’s ok, don’t be so embarrassed,” she stepped of the curb. “Ha, yeah,” he stopped. Everyone surrounding them had turned their heads to the sky and opened their mouths. From the sky, no, it was the construction work, an iron pole was falling. No. The heat, something he had barely noticed earlier, was suddenly all he could feel. The iron pole dropped down, and pierced the girls’ body straight through. His dream, or was it his memory? It was all coming back. Strangers cries, drowned out by the girls’ ripping screams filled the spaces between the buildings. His chest rose and fell rapidly, shaky sweaty hands clutched at his damp hair. _That dream, it had been real? No it couldn’t have been, but I, I took her away from the cat, I don’t understand_. Hot tears sprung from his eyes, and as he tried desperately to wipe them away he realized that his hands were not wet with sweat, but with blood. _Please, please tell me this is another dream_. Soft, warm fur rubbed against his calf, he looked down. The back cat stared up at him. He was sobbing uncontrollably now, feeling light headed and dizzy. _Please let this be a dream._ The shimmering heat mocked his cries, “This is the real thing.” As the boys’ vision blurred away, he glanced at the dead girls’ profile, and he could have sworn she was smiling.

August 14th

Light cascaded through the bedroom window, landing on the boys’ flickering eyelids. Tear drops ran down his face, over his chapped lip. _I couldn’t save her_. He checked the time. 12:20 _. If I had just stayed home, would she have lived? If I stayed in bed now? No._ He ran out of his house, not bothering to tie his shoes _. I can’t just let her die_. Rubber soles of his shoes hit the pavement, almost painfully, his chest was constricting, desperately searching for more air. He ran into the park and saw her, sitting on a swing, alive. “______!” the boy cried out, closing the distance between the two of them. “Hurry, please, I need you to come with me.”

“What? _____? I don’t understand?” She was hesitant, and a little afraid, not that he could blame her. But this was taking too long. “I’ll explain later, come on,” the boy grasped her hand and the girl nodded, seeming to understand the importance of the situation. They started running. _Have to get far away, somewhere away from trucks and buildings and other people. Have to keep her safe._ He ran faster, trying to put as much distance between them and the city streets as possible. Searching, running, holding her hand, glancing over his shoulder to see if she was ok. Her normally pale cheeks were flushed, she must be tired. But her eyes, though wide and scare were determined. _She trusts me_. They reached a flight of stairs, leading to a viewing platform. He tightened his hand around hers, feeling her rapid pulse in her small wrist, and began to scale the concrete mountain. _Keep going, keep running, ignore the pain in your legs, don’t let the heat get to you._ They continued on, as if just making it to the top of the stairs might be enough.  The boy climbed the last few steps, hearing the girls’ heavy breathing behind him as she followed _. Just hold out a little longer. Please. Please. Last step_. Relief flooded the boy. As his heal hit the ground, he pivoted to face the girl, only to halt when a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. _A shadow? No…_ He focused on the dark object, eyes widening, dread hitting him at full force. _No. Oh God no._

A black cat was resting at the top of the stairs. Waiting for them. Defeated crawled into every bone of his body, causing his muscles to go slack. The girl, only one step behind him, was mid-step when the boy loosened his grip on her wrist. It was just enough to set her off balance, to let the thick summer heat pull her backwards. A scream ripped through the boys’ throat as her fingers slipped through his. _No, no, I can save her. I was so close but-_ there was nothing he could do as he watched her plummet down, down, down. He squeezed his eyes shut before he could witness her hitting the ground.   

August 14th 

_Countless times have had me black out in the laughing heat like this. This cycle has repeated for decades; I realized that a long time ago. In this cliqued story, there must only be one ending. Beyond this repeating summer day, it has to exist._

August 14th

They were seated in the park this time. Side by side, looking forward, in quiet understanding. He was holding her hand. He was terrified. It was almost time. The boy tensed in anticipation. _It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay._ He felt the girl remove her hand from his, before pushing herself off the grass _. It’s alright, it’s happening_. She ran out of the park, chasing the black cat. The boy followed. With each step his heart pounded harder than before. _It’s going to be okay._ He reached forward, wrapping his hand around the girls’ wrist like he had done so many times before. _It’s going to be okay._ He pulled the girl back onto the sidewalk. Their eyes caught for a brief moment, “It’s going to be okay.” Releasing the girl behind him, he leapt forward. He caught sight of the black monster across the street, and let himself indulge in one last smile.

_Screw you cat._

The truck slammed into his falling body. The girls’ glassy eyes and the twisted figure were hazy reflections of the blood that sprayed everywhere. If that praiseful heat had laughed, “Serve’s you right,” as it had done again and again; then it would have been all for nothing. But it was over. Summer would end soon.

August 14th

A young girl sat in her bed, letting her dark hair fall in her face, shielding her eyes from the midday sun. She held a cat, petting its black fur absentmindedly. Tear drops rolled down her face as she held back a silent sob,

“I failed this time too…”

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is: yunglolita if you want to send me any other criticism, advice or compliments!


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